Thursday's Sports In Brief

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mariano Rivera said goodbye to Yankee Stadium with hugs, tears and cheers.

Baseball's most acclaimed relief pitcher made an emotional exit in his final appearance in the Yankees' home pinstripes, when captain Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte came to the mound to remove him with two outs in the ninth inning of a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.

''It's time to go,'' Jeter appeared to tell Rivera.

During four minutes of thunderous chanting from the sellout crowd 48,675, an overcome Rivera sobbed as he buried his head on the right shoulder of Pettitte, who also is retiring when the season ends Sunday. Pettitte gave Rivera and 30-second bear hug, and Jeter followed with a 15-second embrace.

Rivera, who turns 44 in November, said he had trouble controlling himself on the mound during the ninth inning for the first time since he left Panama and embarked on a professional baseball career in 1990.

''I was bombarded with emotions and feeling that I couldn't describe,'' he said after the game, flanked by his wife and three sons. ''Everything hit at that time. I knew that was the last time. Period. I never felt like that before.''

NEW YORK (AP) - Bud Selig took over a sport with $1.7 billion in revenue, four teams in each year's postseason, economic disparity among the clubs and a fixation on sticking with traditions that dated to the 19th century.

After a decade of maintaining his departure was imminent, the 79-year-old baseball commissioner put his exit plans in writing Thursday and said in a statement he will retire in January 2015 after 22 years - the second-longest term behind Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The man who was fatally stabbed during a confrontation after a Dodgers-Giants game in San Francisco was the son of a Dodgers security guard, the team said Thursday.

Jonathan Denver's father, Robert Preece, worked security on game days at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers said.

Meanwhile, the father of the suspect Michael Montgomery, accused of stabbing Denver to death, said his son told him it was done in self-defense.

San Francisco police say Denver, 24, was with his father, brother and two other people a few blocks from the San Francisco Giants' ballpark late Wednesday when their group exchanged words with some Giants fans who were leaving a nightclub.

The exchange turned physical and Denver, who was wearing Dodgers gear, was stabbed to death.

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COLLEGE SPORTS

NEW YORK - The NCAA is now on its own in the legal battle over whether athletes should share in the money made from the use of their likenesses.

Electronic Arts and the Collegiate Licensing Company have settled all lawsuits brought against the companies by former and current college athletes over the unauthorized use of the players' images and likenesses in video games and other merchandise.

The NCAA is not part of the settlements, which includes the O'Bannon case. Brought by former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon, that lawsuit was asking for the NCAA, EA and CLC to share billions of dollars in revenues - including those made from massive television rights deals - with college athletes.

The settlement was submitted for approval to the U.S. District Court in Northern California and the terms were confidential.

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PRO FOOTBALL

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) - A defendant alleged to be the right-hand man of former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez was ordered held Thursday on $500,000 bail, and prosecutors revealed that a key witness in their murder case against Hernandez has changed his story about the night of the killing.

A Bristol County Superior Court judge sided with prosecutors in ordering the bail amount for Ernest Wallace, who pleaded not guilty last week on a charge of being an accessory to murder in the killing of Odin Lloyd. The judge cited in part his lack of ties to the state and a record that included giving false names to police.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen says Clint Trickett will start as quarterback against No. 11 Oklahoma State in place of the injured Ford Childress.

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PRO BASKETBALL

The Sacramento Kings believe DeMarcus Cousins can avoid his past mistakes and be the foundation of the franchise under new owner Vivek Ranadive.

The Kings and Cousins reached an agreement on a contract extension late Wednesday night, a person familiar with the deal said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The Sacramento Bee reported the extension is a four-year, $62 million deal that will carry Cousins through the 2018-19 season. Cousins was eligible for an extension up to five years and $80 million.

NEW YORK (AP) - Steve Mills is returning to the New York Knicks as president and general manager, replacing Glen Grunwald in a front-office shake-up just days before the start of training camp.

Mills spent a decade as an executive at Madison Square Garden and before that worked at the NBA for 16 years. He left MSG in 2009 after the arrival of Donnie Walsh as Knicks president.

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PRO HOCKEY

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The NHL is confident the ice won't melt on its plan to play outdoor hockey in sunny Southern California.

The Los Angeles Kings will take on the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 25 at Dodger Stadium, the iconic baseball venue nestled high in the hills above downtown.

It's the NHL's first outdoor game in a warm-weather city, but the league's ice-making technicians say they're up to the challenge of building a viable rink in Los Angeles' balmy year-round temperatures.

MONTREAL (AP) - Denis Brodeur, the father of star goalie Martin Brodeur who enjoyed a lengthy career as one of Canada's most successful sports photographers, died Thursday, the New Jersey Devils said. He was 82.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) - Vincent Viola grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from West Point, is a former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange and after the Sept. 11 attacks founded a center devoted to combating terrorism.

He's now the new owner of the Florida Panthers, said a person familiar with the situation.

Viola will be introduced in that role Friday after paying $250 million to buy the NHL franchise, the person said, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms have not been made public.

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OLYMPICS

SOCHI, Russia (AP) - The International Olympic Committee doesn't have the authority to intervene in Russia's law banning gay propaganda and is convinced there will be no discrimination against athletes or spectators at the Winter Games in Sochi, a top Olympic official said Thursday.

Jean-Claude Killy, chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission, gave his stamp of approval of Russian preparations for the games during a news conference at the conclusion of the commission's 10th and final visit to Sochi before the Olympics, which begin on Feb. 7.

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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

BROCTON, N.Y. (AP) - The teammates of a high school football player in upstate New York who died after being injured in a game have voted to end their season early.

Damon Janes was injured during the third quarter of Westfield-Brocton's Sept. 13 against Portville. He was able to get on his feet but lost consciousness on the sidelines. He died three days later and an exact cause of death has not been released.

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TENNIS

TOKYO (AP) - Venus Williams beat Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 on Thursday to advance to the Pan Pacific Open semifinals for the first time.

Williams, whose previous best in Tokyo was the quarterfinals in 2004, broke Bouchard with a forehand down the line to go up 5-2 in the third set and held on to win the match that lasted three hours at Ariake Colosseum.

BANGKOK (AP) - Milos Raonic took advantage of only one of 16 break chances and still overcame Marinko Matosevic of Australia 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 at the Thailand Open on Thursday.

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GOLF

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) - England's Oliver Wilson boosted his chances of regaining a European Tour card, shooting an 8-under 64 for a share the first-round lead in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.